iphone 6s, iOS 9, what's new?
And what we think!
Back to the long awaited moment of the Apple Keynote… the release of the new iPhone. Historically the iPhone is the device that introduced most of the brand's innovations; this has proven true once again this year. Remember also that the iPhone is indisputably the best seller of the brand.
You'll find new colours this year: gold and rose gold as well as a reinforced aluminium shell to avoid a new "Bendgate".
As we are used to with Apple, the developments and changes are primarily internal:
- 2 Go of RAM
- A9 Chip: latest Apple chip development, it is nevertheless less powerful than the iPad Pro (the embedded A9X). It now integrates the M9 coprocessor that is "always on" and enables Siri orders with a "Hey Siri" without having to unlock the iPhone or launch Siri.
- Improved Touch ID, two times faster
- Improved LTE (Long Term Evolution) network and faster Wi-Fi
- 12 MP camera with improved photocell treatment. As with the previous generation, the optic stabiliser is reserved for the Plus version. The iPhone can film in 4K but we doubt its real value given the lack of available screens for viewing this image quality. Even Apple TV is limited to 1080p! For selfie addicts, apart from a 5MP camera, Apple uses the screen instead of adding a new flash in front.
- New accessories: docks and shells, even if the old iPhone 6 and 6 + will be compatible.
3D Touch or the more and more natural gesture
> 3D Touch is a new gesture that is supported and that seems natural. For now, only iPhone 6 screens support this technology.
> Peak and Pop allows a preview by lightly pressing Peak and completely opens the item by pressing harder Pop.
Take the example of a list of emails: Peak opens the email in a pop-up; if the email isn't of any interest immediately, simply release the finger to return to the initial list of emails. The email remains as not read. All this is done in one single motion with 3D Touch when it took 4 before - always simpler!
> The horizontal swipe (right or left) is used either to mark as read or delete the email, a swipe up makes the classic email treatment choices appear (reply, forward, move …) and then, to open the email, you Pop after you Peak.
> Quick Actions triggers the iOS9 springboard, a light press on an app makes contextual actions appear (it’s a kind of right click from the touchscreen iOS). Different examples were shown during the Keynote : the phone app gives access to favourite contacts; the music app to Beats 1, the Apple Music radio; the Camera enables the app to launch it directly in selfie mode, and once the photo is taken, a Peak on the thumbnail of the last photo taken allows horizontal swiping of the photo album and then let go to return to the Photo app. On the Apple Maps app, we can return home, mark or send its position etc.
> Another possibility offered by 3D Touch: switch an application in the background to another by lightly pressing the edge of the screen, then swipe horizontally to the wanted application. Once more, it’s a natural gesture, replacing a double click on the home button + a screen swipe. Using 3D Touch can be done in any application that integrated it, e.g. shooter games, enabling you to aim without shooting, then shoot by pressing harder.
> Live Photos: during the shooting, in addition to the usual photo taking, the iPhone takes a video a few seconds before and after said photo. To render the picture "Live", one must press lightly on it and it comes to live in a few seconds. The effect is astounding, especially when one consults their library of Live Photos, and just swipes through them: they come alive when swiped for a full effect.
>> An API allows the use of this technology in third party apps. Note that Facebook already supports Live Photos.
Focus Test: users of the new iPhone are quickly going to adopt 3D Touch possibilities in their applications and will certainly be frustrated if it is not integrated. It is essential to integrate 3D Touch in applications so as not to seem like a "has been". This will push developers to review the interface of certain functions of their existing apps and design new interactions. Live Photos API is also integrated into third party apps and tested, obviously.
ZOOM on iOS 9
A brief reminder of the key developments of the new version of the iOS Apple mobile:
- Improvements to Siri and proactive assistant system
- New News app
- Major improvements of Notes app
- Real time Car traffic added to Apple Maps and public transport maps
iOS 9 will be compatible with any iDevice already compatible with iOS 8 (on the eve of the iOS 9 release, iOS 8 represented 87% of the Apple customer base, iOS 7 11%).
iOS 9 also presents new features:
> Slide Over: Multiwindowing on iPads (2 apps side-by-side in 2/3-1/3, but only one active at a time)
> Split View: starting with the iPad Air 2 only, Multiwindowing (2 active apps of the same size)
> PIP (Picture In Picture): video in a corner of the screen, starting with the iPad Air 2
> Additional shortcut bar in the iPad native keyboard
> Trackpad for text selection, 2 fingers on the iPad, thanks to 3D Touch on the latest iPhones (but not available on previous iPhones)
> Blockers of third party content (mostly ads) in Safari and any webview content
> ApplePay improvements
> Power saving mode
> Improvement of consumption system
Focus Test: a new version of iOS means the need to ensure compatibility of the application with the new system. The gaps are sometimes major and can even be blocking.